British armed boats of the Madhist era to be restored

[London, England]
Sudan's National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums has signed an agreement with a Khartoum based historical society to restore a gunboat and a steamer that were used on the Nile River during the Mahdist era.
The plan is to restore the Gunboat Melik and the Armed Steamer Bordein to working condition. Estimated costs for restoring the Melik run to £ 1.5 M. The hope is that these working boats would allow tourists to experience a British connection to the heritage of Sudan.
The boats were built in England in the late 1800's, then tranported Egypt and assembled on the Nile. The Bordein is in sections in a dockyard on the Nile River in Khartoum. Since 1926, the Melik has been the headquarters for a sailing club.

http://www.melik.org.uk/